Diocese of Winona-Rochester Social Concerns   
News and Announcements
 "To promote and support parish social action through education"

Our committee meets on a monthly basis to discuss the issues of Social Concerns within our Diocese, and to plan opportunities to learn and explore issues of concern. Updates and information are available below. Feel free to contact us by responding to this newsletter or through the feedback button at the bottom of the newsletter with any questions or feedback. 
June 20th is World Refugee Day!
During this month of June, as we prepare to celebrate World Refugee Day, let us remember and pray on the reminder Pope Francis gave us:
"A Safe Place to Land"
Have you ever experienced a spring snowstorm? Most likely the answer is yes! Well, it is Minnesota. And we always get a brief glimpse of 70 degree temperatures, only to have it followed by an unexpected and unwelcome blizzard. If you are a visitor to our state in spring, you will inevitably hear someone say, “I feel like crying.”
I am a music lover. I start the day dancing in my kitchen and singing in the shower. You never see me leaving for the day without earbuds around my neck ready to savor a song. Uplifting music makes me walk taller, smile brighter, and breathe deeper—even during a late April snowstorm.

But, today the tears are flowing…and it is not because of an unexpected weather forecast. I am listening to a song entitled, “A Safe Place to Land” by Sara Bareilles with John Legend.
While the song is pensive and reflective, it has particularly cut to my core. As I listen, I visualize the faces of refugee and immigrant children staring back at me. I see their tears streaming down weathered cheeks, I feel their paralyzing fear, and I experience their desperation as they hope for a safe place to land..... Read Full Story.
Catholic Charities of Southern MN Refugee Resettlement Staff
Ngathe's Story

Ngathe arrived to MN with his wife, their two young children and his elderly mother- in-law in fall. Ngathe and his family were refugees, who fled violence in their home to be resettled in the United States by Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota . The family arrived in Rochester from a refugee camp in Kenya with only a few bags of necessities.. . Read Ngathe's Full Story.
Dheyaa's Story

We think of refugees being “refugees” forever, in fact they become our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and friends. One such “refugee” was Dheyaa. Dheyaa and his family were refugees escaping war in Iraq that had the unfortunate luck of running to a once stable Syria for help. Once they realized the instability starting in Syria, and that the life they would live in Syria would only be temporary, they started the lengthy process to resettle in the United States. After years of waiting they arrived in 2011 as refugees... Read Dheyaa's Full Story.
Photo of Aline and Kristina Hammell, Director of Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota's Refugee Resettlement Program
Aline's Story
Aline, like many refugees before her, came to the United States because of war. Aline was a young mother of 5 children. When war broke out in the Democratic Republic of Congo her husband was one of the first to be killed. She stayed hoping that things would calm, and she was very hesitant to leave her home land. Unfortunately, that hope ended late one night when Aline and her children were forced to flee from terrorists who started their house on fire. “We fled into the bush in the middle of the night and walked and walked until we reached Uganda.”.. . Read full Story.
" As the refugee crisis continues, we remain challenged as people of faith to nourish refugees' hope for the future. The resources below can be used to help involve faith communities take up Pope Francis' charge by praying, learning, acting and giving to support those in need. " - CRS
Upcoming Events
  • On Friday… We will host the Millennial Church Conference – “This unique, engaging, and refreshing day-long conference will empower clergy, Church staffs, and lay leaders to reach out to Millennial adults in simple, practical, and personal ways.”

  • On Saturday… We will offer a day of prayer, sharing, witness, and worship, featuring The Vigil Project, leading into our celebration of the diocesan Pentecost Vigil Mass on that evening at the Co-Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist.


The DOWR Social Concerns Committee will be participating in this Celebration and presenting during the Saturday sessions on:

“Caring for Our Common Home:
As a Minnesota Catholic”
 
During this session we will dig into the new document “Minnesota Our Common Home” put out by the Minnesota Catholic Conference. We will explore the ideas of Integral Ecology, Creation Stewardship and how we, as MN Catholics, are called to respond. 
JRLC 2019 Legislative Recap for Faith Communities

June 13, 2019 from 6:30 - 8 pm.
1st Congregational United Church of Christ
1910 3rd Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912

June 25, 2019
7-8:30pm at St. Catherine Church
203 E Brown St. in Luverne, MN 56156
Join us for an evening recap of the 2019 legislative session. Together we will:

Learn: About major changes put into place during the 2019 legislative session • How and where the faith community impacted legislators • Best practices to continue advocating out of session

Share : Issues that impact you and your community most • Impressions of 2019 legislative session — what went well, what do you want to see changed • Visions for MN’s future

These events are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Every Wednesday
5:15-5:45pm
Donations Appreciated

Meditation is a practice of quieting the mind to bring forth clarity and tenderness, while cultivating forgiveness and love. It is a mindful practice of being aware and awake to the present moment. It demands of you to be truly present and at-one with those around you and with what you are doing. We open ourselves to the mysterious and silent space within. It is an opportunity to explore the meaning and methods of mindfulness, drawn from a range of traditions and approaches.
The time begins with a short guided meditation followed by silence. A bell will ring every 15 minutes allowing you to enter or exit as needed. All spiritual paths are welcome.
Presented by Father Tony Gittins, CSSp
Sunday evening, June 16 – Saturday Noon, June 22
$450 includes lodging and meals | $250 Commuter discount rate

Seeking to identify some of the major building-blocks of our religious lives, we will look at our call to ongoing conversion; ask whether we are growing in age and wisdom; and identify the essence of spirituality. And we will ask: “What is ‘this’ Jesus asks us to do in his memory?”; and “Are we people of hope?” These and other topics will be shared during the week. Fr. Anthony Gittins, CSSp, who taught theology and anthropology at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago from 1984 until 2011, has authored many books on theological topics, mission, and spirituality. He worked for thirty years with and among homeless women on the streets of Chicago and in a shelter and for seven years was part of Genesis House – a community where women struggle to escape from prostitution.
Spotlight on Resources
Last month we introduced the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC)'s “ Minnesota, Our Common Home ." This month we want to highlight Part 1: A Crisis of Nature :

WHAT IS OUR WORLDVIEW? Although the future of our planet is a real concern, much more is at stake in the ecological crisis. Human greed, waste, and carelessness have indeed scarred and polluted the earth. But it is not just our actions that need to change; it is our attitudes. As Pope Francis writes, “a certain way of understanding human life and activity has gone awry” (LS, 101). We are not just forgetting to recycle; we are forgetting who we are. During his papacy, Pope Francis has consistently pointed out that the heart of the crisis is a modern worldview (a way of seeing reality) that cannot account for the whole truth about God, the human person, and creation. This worldview, so deep-rooted in our society, makes certain aspects of Christian faith particularly difficult for us as moderns to understand. The pope identifies two main threads that define the contours of modern thought: first, individualism that “tends to see the human person as a being whose sole fulfilment [sic] depends only on his or her own strength,” and second, a relativism that creates “a model of salvation that is merely interior, closed off in its own subjectivism.” Check out the full document here!
Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery
Tool Kit Prepared by Sisters of St. Francis
Available for use in your school/parish or social group: The Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery (Now called Human Exploitation) Tool Kit explores Who are Victims and Traffickers, Pornography effects, Federal and MN State Legislation, Catholic social Teaching, Where it exists and What you can do?

Tool Kit includes a Power Point Presentation and instructors Manuel and Answers to frequently asked questions. Kit will be sent to your requesting group in adequate time for preparation to your group.
 
Another option is to request a presenter(s) to come to your location. Contact Darlene Kelly 507-282-2578
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR A SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM
 “Dream Catchers” is a youth servant-leadership training program for the children of Worthington-area immigrants, and we are looking forward to our 4th summer of learning/growing together, but we need volunteers to help! 
The program is conducted one day a week (Tuesdays) from 9 am to 4 pm during the summer months (June/July/August) and is sponsored by Familias Juntas (Families Together). Each week the participants are bused to a rural location – south of Iona – where they study leadership skills and learn about teamwork in a faith-based setting, through presentations, gardening, doing crafts and enjoying many activities/games together. We are in need of volunteers ages 16 and older to supervise, lead sessions, help with gardening, serve food, and plan games and activities. A current background check is required for those 18 years old and older. A meeting/training for volunteers will be scheduled for mid-May; if you are interested in helping please contact Lisa Kremer at 507-360-3423 or  familiasjuntas.mn@gmail.com  
By Jason Adkins / Minnesota Catholic Conference

Not every political issue is a battle between good and evil. In fact, most are not. But more and more issues at the Capitol are being framed that way because we continue to lose a sense of the dignity of our political opponents. 
When we do not get our way in politics, we think increasingly that it is because the other person is not only ignorant or mistaken, but that they are bad and lack character. This is especially true as the legislative session draws to a close and people’s goals are thwarted. 

The result of a failure to see our political opponents as Jesus sees them is what Catholic scholar Arthur Brooks calls “the culture of contempt.” .....Read Full Article.
Share the Journey
June 16- 23 marks the final week of the Share the Journey campaign in the United States, which promotes solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters. Click here for activities and resources to promote this observation. 
What are you doing in your community?
Is your community doing a project or working on an issue that you would like to share? We would love to highlight your efforts, events and ministry! Let us know what you are doing.
How are we doing?
 We would love to hear your feedback on this newsletter. What do you like? What is helpful? What would you like to see? We can't wait to hear from you!  Send Feedback

Looking for past editions of our newsletter? You can access them ALL on Catholic Charities of Southern MN's Parish Social Ministry Page.